The Setting
It is the year 2478. The planet lies broken and dying. Wars and environmental neglect have rendered the surface uninhabitable. Scattered amongst the shattered remnants of the old nations, surrounded by the flooded, irradiated, polluted regions, the last of our planet-dwellers live a harsh and brutal existence. Raw materials are the only reason to return back down to our old home, collected by the corporations in tightly sealed and monitored mining operations. The desolate terrain is cast into shadow, massive swaths of darkness punctuated by the occasional glare of unobstructed UV.
Beyond that ozone layer, the same situation. Space remains largely unexplored. It has proven to be highly unprofitable to explore, and so far no one has left the solar system. Again, small collecting operations lie scattered about, a gas collector hidden on the dark side of Mercury, red-dusted silicate mining facilities on Mars, sulfide harvesters gleaming amidst the plains of Io as it peeks from around Jupiter, nitrogen-ice collectors hidden in the frozen wastes of Pluto. These are almost all autonomous, mankind mostly only risking so far as Mars, it's nearest and least unforgiving brother.
Corporations fight over Mars, wanting control of it's resources, it's potential. Battles have been fought over the territories, artillery set up on the flanks of Olympus Mons, deep subterranean facilities dug into the depths of Valles Marineris. The very preliminary stages of terraforming have only just begun, oxygen converters beginning to create an extremely thin atmosphere. Another harsh and unforgiving existence.
We live between.
The City
INSILICO is a dark futuristic metropolis, slowly floating several thousand meters high above the clouds. It is one of many cities, serving as the last airborne asylums for the small extant human population that has been forced there. INSILICO lies at the edge of the atmosphere to escape the corroding effects of the pollution and radiation on the city's hull over time.
The cities are connected by dense air-traffic and there is a booming economy for all types of goods. The cities are controlled by many different rival mega-concerns in the science and weapon industry, yet most parts of the population don't care about the large scale politics and established connections on many levels between the cities. There exists a thriving black market for weapons, drugs, software, food, cybernetics and other technology which remains nearly uncontrollable by the big businesses.
Built over 150 years ago, INSILICO is the oldest airborne city. The arcology used to be a strategic dock, having been planned and constructed mostly by Gemini Cybernetics. Gemini is one of the most powerful and advanced Mega-Corps in the global industry operating out of a massive data fortress in the outer earth orbit. They have made great advances in the fields of space flight, weaponry, aural spectrography, visual holography, processing and management of constructs and AIs, massive-scale networking, automated security systems on all scales, as well as in some areas of military armament and technology. Gemini is still financing projects in the cities and supplies it with structural elements and other resources. Gemini even sponsors social activities, but it all carries the bad aftertaste of a weapon concern and appear somewhat shady.
Energy
Energy is unlimited everywhere, as the sky is almost completely covered with thousands of massive kilometers-wide solar collectors. These massive discs form a a second metallic atmosphere, blocking the dangerous sunlight and throwing a grim shadow on the planet. The solar collectors were built in the late 2200's by the Departure Union, after the global energy collapse.
The planet itself is covered by massive cloud cover following the increase in temperature on Earth from global warming. The cities are ionizing the cloud cover and atmosphere with large field generators and are hovering perfectly stabilized on large electromagnetic pillows.
Sometimes, the cities are "tanking" and the energy gained with the solar shield is being used for hydrolysis. Fission reactors at sea-level split ocean water into hydrogen and oxygen for use in the cities. Part of it is then reconverted into water and energy, once the light gases have been pumped up the cables. There is also another way to gain energy and water called "cloud milking".
Government
The city is governed by an Artificial Intelligence operating out of one of Gemini's server clusters ensconced within their orbital data fortress. Many aspects of daily life are under near complete control of the AIs: politics, media, literature, news, entertainment, birth control, and others.
Banks oversee the flow of credits between the cities, creating a unifying global trade system. The Universal Banking Corporation oversees them all, from smaller regional banks, to off planet reserves, from their own corporate City of Ny Zurich.
Swarms of maintenance bots and other control units are observing activity in the city and there is an official City security force which is deeply tainted by corruption.
INSILICO's underworld is controlled by the Ghost Dragon Triad, Yang Mafia, and other cartels, as well as several rivaling rogue hackers and gangs of rebelling cyborgs, droids and mutants. There are also rumors about an elitist group of high-tech terrorists trying to overturn the AIs and take down the moguls.
Surrounded by skyscrapers the citizens try to do their job and live their daily life, struggling with the corporate oppression and rampant criminal activities.
Citizens
New citizens coming from Toxian, Midian, NOR, or other sims should not feel the need to create a whole new character for INSILICO. You're still you, we will just pretend you are coming from one of the other cities in the INSILICO storyline.
Weapons
Most INSILICO residents are armed, some, rather heavily. The old government attempted to ban weapons but this lead to a full scale insurrection that nearly destroyed some of the Cities. No further attempts have been made to disarm the population.
Contrary to expectations, gun ownership has seemed to pacify the residents by providing a (false) sense of freedom.
INSILICO's residents are unemployed, highly disgruntled, and heavily armed. Tensions run high, and it would be wise to tread lightly.
Law Enforcement
Because INSILICO is entirely owned by the corporations, the only law enforcement bodies are corporate security forces. These organizations only concern themselves with matters that directly impact the company, and their employees. Disruptive and public crime is only looked at reluctantly, to keep their employees feeling safe and happy.
